Rachel Jane Jabr is responsible for the Eastern Mangroves Spa by Anantara, which will open this summer. Rachel Jane Jabr is responsible for the Eastern Mangroves Spa by Anantara, which will open this summer.

Director of spa operations & development, MEA, Hilton Worldwide, Sharon Barcock has also witnessed this trend within Hilton’s spas, adding: “Non- invasive, results-focused treatments are a big focus — guests want immediate results without the down time.

“They do not want to suffer from redness, puffiness, reactions or days out of action due to the treatment they have received, and we are seeing the introduction of new treatment and equipment options that deliver this.”

Barcock also asserts that there is a greater focus on the use of heat therapy to complement treatments, particularly cold as opposed to hot heat therapy.

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“In line with this, within the spa design, the thermal areas of the spa are being developed to provide more of a combination of experiences,” she explains.

“The use of ice and cold water is not new, but many spas in the past shied away from using this form of therapy, now we are seeing more spas starting to incorporate ice chutes, snow rooms, igloos etc.”

Another trend noted by our experts was the increased focus on introducing treatments in line with local culture and traditions, for example the Hammam, which has always been a part of the Arabic tradition in spas.

“The Hammam design is now being given a more simplified contemporary design and is starting to be incorporated into more spa operations,” Barcock adds.

In terms of product lines, the focus certainly seems to be on the ‘wow’ — long gone are
the days of a simple massage oil collection.

“Product lines are getting more and more creative, with examples like Rodial and their ‘Snake venom’ and ‘Glam Tox’ for the non-surgical approach to botox,” director of Talise Spa Madinat Jumeirah, Lindsay Nadeau explains.

“Other lines like Cowshed are trying to use their name to influence a buyer, they go for something catchy. From another perspective there is the organic/non-chemical/no-preservatives approach, which still has quite a strong market, but in any case organic has a very strong buy-in in most countries.

On the other side of the spectrum we see high-end natural products using ‘cosmecuticalc’ ingredients, which are result-orientated, but not harmful to the skin, like Suki.”

Another trend that keeps on coming is the wellness revolution —which has been well documented by Leisure Manager — the phenomenon that has swept across the globe and continues to influence the sector.

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